Meet the figures taking Shrewsbury Town into a new era after takeover is completed

Bradley Friedel is already extremely well known to English football - and will now continue his journey in the boardroom at Shrewsbury Town.

The former United States international goalkeeper is part of the American consortium which has completed a takeover of Town, and will become sporting director at the club.

The group is led by Miami-based businessman Scott Davidson. He is joined in the new ownership group by Friedel, chairman of Scottish League Two side Spartans Craig Graham, and fellow Spartans director Will Dotson.

The club’s new board of directors will also include Liam Dooley and Duncan Montgomery. Sports entrepreneur and former professional footballer Bryan Finnerty will also join the ownership group, subject to approval.

Here, we take a look at who is behind the Shrewsbury Town takeover.

Scott Davidson

The US businessman is not a household name in English football compared with Friedel, but will become a familiar figure to Salop fans.

The Miami-based businessman is a self-made multi-millionaire with a background in commercial real estate. He also spent 12 years as managing director at JPMorganChase, the New York-based multinational banking institution.

Crucially, Davidson is also a Uefa A Licence holder, giving him an understanding of coaching, management and the demands of working in football.

He is the majority shareholder of Scottish League Two club Spartans, having joined the club in July 2021.

Davidson helped guide Spartans into the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) for the first time in their history and they have since established themselves in League Two.

They finished runners-up last season after a close title race with East Kilbride, before losing 3-1 on aggregate to third-placed Clyde in the promotion play-offs.

Davidson has also played a significant role in the development of Spartans’ football foundation, which is regarded as one of the largest in the UK.

That community work is likely to be of particular interest in Shropshire, where Town place significant value on the work of their own foundation.

Bradley Friedel

He needs little introduction to football fans.

Friedel is a Premier League icon, having spent almost two decades playing at the highest level in England.

The 55-year-old Ohio-born goalkeeper has played a significant role in Davidson’s bid to acquire Town and attended a Shrewsbury game earlier this year as talks with the American group progressed.

Friedel retired from playing at the age of 44 in 2015 after an illustrious 20-year professional career.

He made 668 appearances during his career, including 476 in the Premier League for Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur.

Friedel was also capped 82 times by the United States and represented his country at three World Cups.

He moved into management after retiring, taking charge of MLS side New England Revolution between 2017 and 2019.

Since then, he has worked as a pundit for BBC Sport, talkSPORT, RTE and Fox Sports, including during this summer’s World Cup.

Will Dotson and Craig Graham

Dotson and Graham will become directors at Shrewsbury.

New York-based financier Dotson is currently a director at Spartans, while Graham is chairman of the Scottish club.

Graham has also been central to the growth of the Spartans Community Foundation, which has expanded significantly during his tenure.

At the end of his tenure as chair of the foundation, it was running 36 different programmes each year and reached more than 2,000 people every week.

Bryan Finnerty

Joining the ownership group as an investor will be sports entrepreneur and former professional footballer Bryan Finnerty.

Finnerty, who owns Atlantic Sport Ventures, is set to undergo the necessary owners’ and directors’ tests before his involvement is formally approved.